Guide to Tomorrowland 2018

The fifteenth year of Tomorrowland is up next and that calls for a new guide. Here we will share everything we have learnt in the past 15 years to help you maximize your festival experience. All suggestions, ideas and experiences are very welcome in the comments and we will update as necessary! Tomorrowland 2019: HERE WE COME!!!

NOTE: Everything is based on experiences from previous years and is subject to change. These are based on the actual rules too. Some people might get off with all kinds of things but NEVER expect that. Official info can be found at the Tomorrowland homepage

In 2017, there were 400 000 tickets sold, around 60% of which were sold to Belgium-only. The 40% or so tickets left count everything from day tickets to mansions, so the real volume of tickets in the global sale is lower. There were around 5 million people trying to buy the tickets so even if you try to buy tickets on the same second the shop opens, with multiple people trying, it is closer to a lottery who gets through. If you have the money, BUY GLOBAL JOURNEY. It is very easy to get tickets through the GJ sale, except some of the most wanted packages (including train- and bus-packages from the biggest cities). Use the Global Journey Simulator to know what you want before the actual sale. Some Global Journey packages take weeks to sell out!

Double weekend means you will choose what weekend you want to buy a ticket for. You will have to buy a new ticket for another weekend.

How to get tickets?There are multiple different sales and more info about them can be found Tomorrowland homepage (Listed in order of opening in 2017):1. The Global Journey and Discover Europe-sale (Travel packages)2. The top 10 sale3. Belgian-only sale4. WorldWide pre-sale (Early bird)5. Friendship garden sale6. The World sale7. Waiting List/Exchange Desk8. Travel partners

What are Pearls?Tomorrowland uses an electronic payment system in your bracelet. Your bracelet is used to pay for almost everything (excluding dreamville Carrefour shop, cigarette stores and some special stands). Instead of euros, the currency is pearls. The conversion rate is 20 € = 12,5 Pearls. Pearls can be added before the festival and at the festival by cash and cards. More info here

Remember to visit the smaller stages. Some of them offer much more than just another genre of music!

As of 2017, Church of Love/Chapel of Love/Chapelle J'arretelle has been REMOVED.

Timetables might screw up. Be there early if you want to see a certain artist perform. The Tomorrowland App will give notifications 10 minutes before your chosen artists play.

There are two entrances: dreamville entrance near the mainstage and main entrance near the Freedom stage.

Lockers are located at both Dreamville and Tomorrowland. These will not run out and can be bought on-site. Some sizes MAY run out. Tomorrowland lockers use codes, so no keys are required. Dreamville use keys.

There were 4 restaurants (Tomorrowland Restaurant, B-EAT, Aperto and Brasa) in Tomorrowland 2018. The Tomorrowland restaurant was sold out in a few hours, Brasa sold out in a week, the others you could buy until the end. Some restaurants allow walk-ins if it's not busy.

There is a fifth secret restaurant hidden in the Mainstage. It costs around 15000 euros for 12 persons. There are no pictures because phones are not allowed in there!

When you buy water, the bottle caps will be taken off. Bring bottle caps or an EMPTY camelback so you can carry water with you. There are free refill points at every WC area.

Tomorrowland doesn't allow ANY bottles from outside. Only Dreamville will let you bring outside PLASTIC bottles.

Remember to use sun screen and carry water with you! Hydration is VERY important when you're raving all day and it's best not to underestimate the sun. In 2018, temperatures went as high as 38 degrees. Tomorrowland gave out free parasols, sun screen and water.

Comfort areas (Mainstage, Organ of Harmony and Freedom Stage) have special things, like credit card payment, exclusive spots and a swimming pool.

A camelback is very useful if you plan on camping at the front row of any stage.

Hearing protection. In the crowds, near the stages and all over Tomorrowland the music will be VERY loud. Remember, you need to be able to hear these wonderful tunes in your retirement days too!

A MEETING SPOT: Phones will lose battery, people will get lost in crowds and generally be everywhere. Talk with people and agree on a meeting spot, where you can go if you've lost everyone. This has saved us many tears every year. Most people agree on a certain landmark at the mainstage.

The ferris wheel is free, during the day you can get in fast and it's beautiful, especially at night! Access is from the right side of the Freedom stage. If it rains, the ferris wheel will be shut down.

Every year the mainstage has an opening show where the stage truly comes alive. In 2017 and 2018, this was every day at 17:00 local time!

A free, pocket-sized physical timetable & map of the area can be found at all info stands

Every night on the mainstage after the last artist, there is an endshow. The endshow is the SAME every night so choose the one you want best. Personally, I save it for the last day!

Dreamville tips and tricks:

2017 Dreamville map. There are several types of Dreamville accommodations. The basic camping is called "Magnificent Greens". All types of accommodations have access to the Magnificent Greens area. Other types are split in to three zones: The Montagoe (Dreamlodge, Cabanas, Relax Rooms, Kokono & Mansions), Friendship Garden area (Separate zone inside Dreamville) and Easy Tent area. You can't access other accommodation zones.

When you arrive, ask which zones have been filled. Remember, the employees are mostly volunteers so the info might be wrong. Green zone is mainly for workers.

There is a Carrefour inside if you want to buy ingredients for food or miscellaneous items. Dreamville Carrefour only accepts CARDS as a form of payment.

Dreamville has lots of grills and hammocs that are free to use.

Water will be sold without caps (most of the time) so bring your own or buy waterbottles from Carrefour and use those caps. You can refill in the refresh points or toilets for free.

Tents, chairs, sleeping bags, air matresses, partytents (aka gazebos) and similar things can be bought from Dreamville for a reasonable price. The shop selling them is called Tentenzo and pre-ordering is cheaper by a few euros. https://www.tentenzo.com/engels/webshop/

Tentenzo pickup point is near Rainbow 2 (Where taxis leave you)

Make sure your tent is a quality one! Some tents sold in Dreamville are NOT waterproof in the most extreme weather.

In case of strong winds, employees will take all partytents (aka gazebos) down. Normal tents will be left alone, though it is in everyones best interest that they are firmly tied to the ground and to other tents.

Consider buying a sleeping mask if you want to take naps.

Rain is very common in Belgium. Tomorrowland 2013, 2015 and 2017 experienced lots of rain, so remember to waterproof your tent and make sure it wont fly away!

There are lots of thieves in Dreamville. If you have valuables, buy a locker before or a tent lock from the infos, put them under the tent or at the very least, do NOT put them near the door of the tent. Easy tents have a lock pre-installed! Some thieves slash tents open so never leave valuables in the tent.

Easy tent sleeping bags are one-size-fits-all. Prepare accordingly.

Both Dreamville and Tomorrowland give reasonably priced chargers that you can swap for a full one any number of times. You can also bring your own. These chargers might not be full when you swap them because of crowds.

Dreamville has two kinds of showers: Inside and outside. Inside showers cost 1 pearl to 2,5 pearls depending on the time you're using them and are very good with warm water. Inside showers are only open from the morning to the early evening. If you don't want to wait in line, go very early. The outside showers are free and open through the night. SOME outside showers have warm water even at night, most have only cold.

Dreamville offers very little shade from the sun. There are practically no trees. There are some bigger tents but they might get crowded. Buy a party tent (aka gazebos) for your group if possible.

Distances are long. Dreamville is 15-20 minutes from the back to the front gate, then it's 10-15 minutes to the front gate of Tomorrowland and about 10 minutes to get to the last stage of Tomorrowland.

The more your camping costs, the closer it is to Tomorrowland, Dreamville being the furthest and Mansion being the closest.

Food and drinks: Buy these in bulk to your tents. Nothing is worse than waking up hungry/thirsty and having to walk to get your fill. At the very least, remember to buy something to drink.

Glass bottles are NOT allowed in Dreamville. Buy plastic bottles and fill them up with your liquids. In 2017 there were limits on everything but water and soda, but these were not actively enforced.

Flip flops: These are needed for showering and they're good for chilling. These can be bought from Dreamville.

Wet wipes are a lifesaver. You can wipe the worst dirt off without having to go to the shower. Easy and useful.

Dreamville has two entrances, one in the back (Rainbow 2) and one in the front (Rainbow 1). Both entrances have ticket troubleshooting. The back entrance has taxis and a parking area. The front exit leads to other Dreamville areas and to Tomorrowland. Taxis might drop you off at either exit.

Dreamville might get rough. Rain might hit hard, it can get very cold and windy. Good preparations are very important. It is all part of the experience, savor it and have fun!

Figure out how to transport your camping gear before going to Tomorrowland. You most likely have to walk a lot from your car/train/taxi to your tent so a cart can mean everything between being annoyed and being in hell on planet bullshit. Dreamville has wooden planks all over so carts will go smoothly.

Consider buying a party tent (aka gazebos) for your group. It offers shade, protection from rain and a place to hang. Really good idea and it costs only around 30 euros.

There is an ATM in Dreamville.

If you have a Full madness-ticket, you can buy a Magnificent Greens-upgrade to your ticket in front of Rainbow 1. These may run out fast. Cost is about 70 euros.

Hotels:

Busses will be late for almost everything and the drivers might not know exactly where to go. Prepare to wait!

In 2015 busses were told to leave at 01:15. Some did leave at that time but in most cases they had busses leaving as late as 03:00.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you know where and when your busses will leave! Make sure to mark the spot. Employees might NOT know where the busses leave.

Hotels in Antwerpen might be hard to reach without the assigned busses. Some taxis refuse to drive there.

Choose your hotel carefully. Some will be hard to reach at night, some will be far away and some will be prettier than others.

You MIGHT be able to get on a bus that leaves later or earlier than what you originally bought. Don't trust this as 100% though.

Busses leave at designated times and for some hotels, this is really early. If you like to sleep in, you'll have to arrange your own ride to the festival.

What to bring:

Good Shoes: You'll be walking and jumping a LOT, so good shoes are the most important thing. Remember, they will get dirty and it might rain more than you can imagine, so don't expect your shoes to be in perfect condition afterwards.

A way to carry your things: I personally use shorts with zipper-pockets. Some people prefer fanny packs. Just make sure your choice isn't an inconvenience when you're raving hard!

Bottle caps: When you buy water, they won't give you bottle caps so bringing your own makes life easier. You can even refill your bottles for free. One way to get bottlecaps is to buy water from Carrefour/Aldi first and use those caps.

Sunscreen: You are partying in the sun for the whole day, every day. Use strong sunscreen constantly throughout the day. You might be burned even if there are clouds! In 2018, Tomorrowland had over 35 degrees so prepare accordingly.

Sunglasses: These can be bought at Dreamville and Tomorrowland. Just make sure you have atleast one pair, since you're partying in the sun.

Spare clothes: This is a given but since it might rain heavily, get very cold, get very windy or very hot, take spare clothes accordingly.

Rain coats: A good rain coat will save you a lot of effort and tears. You can be these at Dreamville and Tomorrowland, but it's better to buy your own earlier. A good rain coat can be spread as a cover for sitting, will fit in your pocket and wont break easily.

Something from your country: Flags, alcohol, snacks, accessories. Anything special you can give to new people you meet! It's always fun to get to know other cultures and it makes meeting new people so much easier.

Cash: Everything in Tomorrowland and Dreamville is bought with your bracelet, EXCEPT cigarettes, a few special stands and anything in Dreamville Carrefour. Cash is useful for trading with people too. Both cash and cards can be used to top up your bracelet in both Dreamville and Tomorrowland.

Ear plugs: The music is very loud in Tomorrowland and in Dreamville there are a lot of noises through the night.

PRINT. EVERYTHING. Or at least have copies of every document on your phone. If things go wrong, it's much easier to show paper versions of receipts, tickets and whatever else you might need.

Prepare for the weather! In 2015 we had almost 10 degrees at night, almost 27 degrees during the day, a lot of rain and wind during the day and night. 2018 we had over 35 degrees of warmth on multiple times, plus some fast rainstorms. Weather can also change quickly!

POSITIVE ATTITUDE! Everybodys there to have fun. Things will get broken, clothes will be ripped, your drink might get spilled and it will rain at some point. It's all part of the experience, keep smiling!

Important:

Bracelet troubleshooting can take time. We've heard stories of up to 3 hours of waiting. Information doesn't always arrive where it's supposed to. Keep your head calm and remember, everyone is just doing their jobs. Know the name of the main buyer of your order.

Do not touch any of the decorations in Dreamville or Tomorrowland. They are very strict about this and disobeying will result in losing your bracelet.

Drugs are forbidden. Generally everybody is pretty chill about them, but if you are caught with drugs on you, you will be banned. Even one pill or joint is enough to get you banned. If you buy them, be careful since there are some scammers who will sell you anything from placebos to bad drugs. Remember that there are LOTS of undercover police and dogs going around the camping and searching for these. Undercover cops also ask to buy/sell. Do not risk your weekend with drugs! This is getting stricter every year so really consider the risks. Tomorrowland is a magical experience even with just water and good food.

Selfie sticks are allowed up to 1 meter. These are very useful for taking group pictures/selfies.

If you are taking pictures on your phone, make sure all pictures are uploaded to a cloud server in case you lose your phone!

Almost all employees are volunteers. If you want to know something important, make sure the person you are asking knows what they are talking about or ask multiple persons.

Taxi from Brussels airport to Tomorrowland will cost around 100 euros depending on the time, traffic and size of your group. Both Dreamville and Tomorrowland info desks will give you their numbers and taxis are available all the time near Dreamville Rainbow 2.

Taxi from Tomorrowland at night might cost a LOT more than during the day. Do not miss your busses/rides. If you have to take a taxi, try a few before paying absurd prices.

Taxi drivers are only human. They will not know every destination and get lost. Usually they are fair about the price in these situations.

Busses from Tomorrowland and Hotels to the nearest train station, brussels airport and other destinations are FREE and they leave pretty often. Use them!

There are Wi-Fi spots around Tomorrowland and Dreamville. If you really need the internet all the time, buy a prepaid card from Belgium or make sure yours works abroad. You can also try to ask the employees politely for the Wi-Fi password. They aren't allowed to give it, but in some cases they might!

Pickpockets are everywhere. Make sure your phone, wallet, passport and similars are safe, especially near the mainstage. It is very easy to steal stuff in crowds.

Ponchos are FREE from any bar when it's raining. Otherwise they cost 2,5 - 5 pearls. If it rains heavily, some places WILL run out.

The amount of money you need to take with you depends mainly on how much alcohol you consume. Around 15-30 pearls is enough for one days non-alcoholic drinks and food. Here's a rough idea of how much drinks cost. SOME FOOD IS CHEAPER AT THE FESTIVAL THAN IN DREAMVILLE. Food prices range from 3,5 pearls (fries) to around 15 pearls (luxury meals).

Also some people may not know but some Global Journey options also takes weeks to sell out depending on which country your planing from. So if you fail at buying tickets via the ticket only options, there's always time to save up $ to buy a entire global journey package instead, most times even weeks later

For those interested in or are attending Tomorrowland in Boom, Belgium, or Tomorrowland Winter in Alpe d'huez, France. Our goal is to connect and unite like minded individuals from all across the globe! We encourage everyone to share pictures, videos and discuss planning ideas. Remember everyone, Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect.